Clamp

ABSTRACT

A ski rack which can be used on most types of slope-backed vehicles is disclosed. The ski rack is adapted to attach to the edge of the trunk lid or similar planar edge portion of the vehicle. The rack includes a support member to which the skis are attached, and a clamp for mounting the support member on the vehicle. The clamp has one end attached to the support member and a second opposite end which detachably attaches to the planar edge portion of the vehicle. The second end has a first planar member adapted to abut the underside of the edge portion, and a second planar member in parallel spaced opposition to the first planar member and adapted to abut the upper surface of the edge portion opposite the first planar member. Means are provided for urging the second planar member toward the first planar member to engage the edge portion therebetween. The first planar member has a lateral edge adapted to be adjacent a support rib on the underside of the planar edge portion, and the second planar member is adapted to span the support rib so that the clamp is at least partially supported by the rib, thereby providing a rigid support for the ski rack.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to ski racks, and in particular to skiracks for slope-backed vehicles.

A variety of ski racks are available for carrying skis over the roofportion of a vehicle. These ski racks attach to the rain gutters on theedges of the roof of the vehicle, and are usually adjustable for use onmost vehicles which have the required rain gutters. However, forfastback or slope-backed vehicles, which are becoming increasinglypopular, it is usually desirable to mount the skis on the sloping aftportion of the vehicle rather than over the roof. Since rain gutters arenot provided on this aft portion, devising a universal ski rack, i.e.one that fits a wide variety of automobiles, has been a difficultproblem since there is no convenient way to attach the rack to thevehicle.

Some ski racks found in the prior art for carrying skis on the rearwardportion of the slope-backed automobile employ either a spaced pair ofsupport members or a unitary frame which simply bolts on to the vehicle,as illustrated in the patent to Bott, U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,491. Such skiracks cannot be conveniently removed from the vehicle since the boltholes must be filled, and are thus usually left on the vehicle, even inthe summer. This type of ski rack is unacceptable to persons who wish toremove their ski racks when the ski season ends.

Other types of ski racks, as exemplified in the patent to Gjesdahl, U.S.Pat. No. 3,606,111, and the patent to Allen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,999,employ a frame having underlying suction cups which rest on the surfaceof the vehicle. The frame is attached to the vehicle by means of strapswhich extend from the frame to the edges of the trunk lid, andtightening the straps maintain the suction cups in contact with thevehicle. The problem with this type of ski rack is that the suction cupsslide relative to the vehicle, and the friction between the cups and thevehicle causes rings or marks which mar the finish of the vehicle whenthe ski rack is removed.

The above types of ski racks are not limited to a specific type ofautomobile. However, removal of the bolted type of ski rack isinconvenient, and the suction cup type leaves marks which detract fromthe appearance of the vehicle. In order to avoid these deficiencies, ithas become customary to design individual ski racks for each differentmodel of automobile. In such ski racks, the shape and size of the frameis matched to the shape of the trunk opening of the vehicle. The frameis thus readily attachable to the edge of the trunk opening, and caneasily be removed. The frame itself provides the desired structuralrigidity so that excessive loads are not placed on the edges of thetrunk opening, and the finish of the automobile is not damaged. However,such ski racks are not adaptable to different makes of cars, and areoften restricted to a given model year or set of years. Hence, theuseful life of such a ski rack is usually limited to the life of theautomobile.

Attempts have been made to develop ski racks that can be adapted todifferent types of vehicles, but that do not require bolts or suctioncups to support the frame. However, such devices are generallyimpractical because the mode of attachment of the frame to the vehicleis insufficient to provide structural rigidity required when skis aresubjected to relatively strong wind forces during transit. Universalclamping mechanisms presently available have been unable to provide thenecessary rigidity and often damage the point of attachment to thevehicle. As a result, such ski racks are not in common usage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a universal ski rack adapted to fitvirtually all slope-backed vehicles that have a trunk or hatch openingin the back. The ski rack of this invention includes a support member,and means for attaching skis to the support member. A clamp is providedthat has one end attached to the support member and a second oppositeend adapted to detachably attach to the planar edge portion of avehicle, such as the edge of the trunk lid. The second end includes afirst planar member adapted to abut the underside of the edge portionand a second planar member in parallel spaced opposition to the firstplanar member and adapted to abut the upper surface of the edge portionopposite the first planar member. Means are provided for urging thesecond planar member toward the first planar member to engage the edgeportion therebetween to fix the ski rack to the vehicle. The clampattaches firmly to the vehicle so that it cannot slide relative theretoto prevent marring the finish of the vehicle.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first planarmember has a lateral edge adapted to be maintained adjacent a supportrib on the underside of the planar edge portion of the vehicle. Thesecond planar member spans the support rib so that the clamp is at leastpartially supported by the rib. Thus, the ski rack is not attachedmerely to the skin or sheet metal of the vehicle, but is also attachedto the support rib. The support rib provides a structurally soundattachment of the ski rack to the vehicle so that the ski rack iscapable of withstanding the wind resistance on the skis without damagingthe vehicle.

In using the ski rack of the present invention, two separate rackassemblies are ordinarily attached to the vehicle, one rack supportingthe tips of the skis and the other rack supporting the rear portion ofthe skis. The two racks of the present invention can be attached to theupper and lower edges respectively of the trunk portion of the vehicle.As an alternative, both of the ski racks can be attached to the sideedge of the trunk lid, or one or the other of the ski racks could be soattached.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support memberis selectively rotatable with respect to the clamp so that theorientation of the support member does not depend on the orientation ofthe trunk lid or other attachment edge. Thus, the ski rack can beattached to any portion of the trunk opening and the skis still alignedwith the direction of travel of the vehicle, allowing the ski rack to beused on almost any slope-backed vehicle.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the support memberis elongate and the attachment of the clamp to the support member isoffset from the longitudinal center of the support member. Thus, if thetwo ski racks of the present invention are attached along a side edge ofa trunk lid which is not aligned with the direction of travel of thevehicle, one of the ski racks can be rotated in one position and theother ski rack rotated in the other position to align the skis with thedirection of travel of the vehicle.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of theinvention, both as to organization and method of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof will be better understoodfrom the following description considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the inventionis illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood,however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and are not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of the aft portion of an automobile employing theski rack of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the aft portion of theautomobile of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the ski rack of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation view of the ski rack of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevation view illustrating the attachment ofthe clamp portion of the ski rack to the trunk edge of a vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The use of the ski rack of the present invention to carry two pairs ofskis on the sloping aft portion of slope-backed automobiles isillustrated by way of reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The ski rack includestwo separate basically identical rack portions 10 and 12 mounted on theplanar edge 14 of the trunk lid 16 of vehicle 18. Racks 10 and 12 arespaced along planar edge 14, rack 10 connected to the forward portion ofskis 20 and rack 12 attached to the aft portion of the skis. Skis 20 areattached to racks 10 and 12 by means of loops 22 known in the art.

The support member portion 24, 26 of the ski racks 10 and 12 areattached to clamp portions 28, 30 by means of bolts 32, 34. Supportmembers 24, 26 are rotatable about bolts 32, 34, and the attachment ofclamps 28, 30 to the support members is offset from the longitudinalcenter of the support members. Hence, support members 24, 26 canalternatively be extended to the right and the left as illustrated toalign skis 20 with the direction of travel of vehicle 18, even thoughlateral edge 14 of trunk lid 16 is not so aligned. Also, as analternative, clamps 28, 30 could have been attached to the upper andlower edges 36, 38 of trunk lid 16 by rotating clamps 28, 30 90° withrespect to support members 24, 26. Hence, the ski racks 10 or 12 of thepresent invention can readily be attached to different size and shapetrunk or hatch openings of slope-back vehicles merely by rotatingsupport member 24, 26 with respect to clamps 28, 30. Clamps 28, 30 canbe attached to any edge of the trunk lid or any other like opening, aswill hereinafter be more fully illustrated.

The construction of the ski rack itself is illustrated in more detail byway of reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Reference numerals corresponding tothe forward ski rack 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be used forclarity. Conventional attachment loops 22 are releasably connected tohooks 40 for attachment of two pair of skis to ski rack 10. Hooks 40 areconnected to the outer surface of the base portion of support member 24,preferably having the U-shaped cross section illustrated. The U-shapedcross section provides a smooth exterior to minimize damage to the skisas they are attached to the support member.

Clamp 28 includes an armature 42 which has a neck portion 44 attached tothe interior surface of the base of support member 24 at one end.Armature 42 also has a shoulder portion 46 at the other end of neckportion 44 which is axially offset from the neck portion. Shoulderportion 46 has an outwardly directed recess 48, and a downwardlydirected elongate slot 50 at the upper end of the recess. An L-shapedmember 52 has one flange 54 adapted to mate with recess 48 and fit intoslot 50. Rivets 56 attach flange 54 of L-shaped member 52 to theshoulder portion 46 of armature 42, and in combination with recess 48and slot 50 firmly attach the L-shaped member to the armature.

Neck portion 44 of armature 42 has a axial aperture 58 extendingtherethrough. Downwardly projecting bolt 32 engages the upper end ofneck portion 44 of armature 42 to attach support member 34 thereto. Bolt32 can be loosened to allow support member 34 to rotate relative toclamp 28. Also, the position of bolt 32 is longitudinally offset fromthe longitudinal center of support member 24 so that rotation of thesupport member changes its lateral position relative to clamp 48 asillustrated in FIG. 1.

Upwardly projecting bolt 60 is threadably engagable with aperture 58 atthe lower end of neck portion 44. Bolt 60 has a head portion 62 at thelower end thereof for turning the bolt. A planar member 64 is rotatablyattached to head 62 by means of a tapered rivet 66 which fits in acounter-sunk aperture 68 in the planar member so that the head of therivet is flush with the lower surface of the planar member. Planarmember 64 is thus in parallel spaced opposition to the second flange 70of L-shaped member 52. The opposing planar surfaces of member 64 andflange 70 are preferably rubberized to protect the finish of that edgeportion of the vehicle engaged therebetween.

The attachment of clamp 28 (or 30) to the planar edge portion 14 oftrunk lid 16 is illustrated by way of reference to FIG. 5. Trunk lid 16has an elongate rib 80 which runs adjacent lateral edge 14 thereof. Sucha support rib is ordinarily provided on a trunk or other similar lid toprovide stiffness to the sheet metal lid. Also, the body of the vehicle18 has a lip 82 which underlies lateral edge 14 of trunk lid 16 toprovide a continuous outer surface for the vehicle and to prevent rainfrom entering the trunk. The lower flange 70 of L-shaped member 52 isadapted to fit in the gap between lip 82 and planar edge 14. Flange 70has a lateral edge 84 which is adapted to be adjacent rib 80. Such ribsare generally approximately 3/4 inch to 1 inch from edge 14, so that thepreferred lateral extent of flange 70 is approximately 3/4 inch.

Planar member 64, which is generally in parallel spaced opposition toflange 70 of L-shaped member 52, is urged into contact with lateral edge14 of trunk lid 16 by bolt 60. Bolt 60 can be rotated by a wrench orpliers engaged with head 62. Planar member 64 has a portion adapted tobe in parallel spaced opposition to flange 70, and an extended portionoverlying rib 80. The transverse dimension of planar member 64 is suchthat the planar member spans a substantial portion of the rib (See FIG.4). In this manner, clamp 28 is at least partially supported by rib 80,rather than merely by edge 14 of trunk lid 16, providing a rigid supportcapable of withstanding the substantial forces caused by wind resistanceon the skis.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has beenillustrated in detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptationsof that embodiment will occur to those skilled in the art. For example,the clamp portion of the present invention could be utilized to attachluggage racks or any other type of rack to the trunk lid of aslope-backed automobile. Also, ski racks could be devised wherein onerack portion is designed according to the principles of the presentinvention, and the other rack portion has a different construction andattaches to the bumper of the vehicle. Another obvious application ofthe present invention would be to mount skis transversely on the trunkportion of a standard (non-slope-backed) vehicle. However, it is to beexpressly understood that such modifications and adaptations are withinthe spirit and scope of the present invention, as set forth in thefollowing claims.

I claim:
 1. A clamp for attaching a rack or other mechanism to the edgeof the trunk lid or other planar edge portion of a vehicle having anunderlying supporting member, said clamp comprising:an armaturecomprising an elongate neck portion and a shoulder portion axiallyoffset from said neck portion and joined to one end of said neckportion, said neck portion having another end adapted to be attached tothe rack and an internal threaded aperture opening opposite said otherend; an L-shaped member comprising first and second relatively thinorthogonal flanges, said first flange attached to the shoulder portionof the armature, the second flange being adapted to be placed inabutment with the underside of said edge portion of said vehicle andhaving a lateral edge adapted to be maintained adjacent said supportingmember; a bolt having one end threadably engaged with the threadedaperture in the neck portion of the armature, said bolt having a headportion at the other end for turning said bolt; a planar memberrotatably attached to the other end of the bolt and adapted to overlie asubstantial portion of said supporting member so that said clamp is atleast partially supported by said supporting member, said planar memberhaving at least a portion adapted to be generally in parallel spacedopposition to the second flange of the L-shaped member so that rotationof the bolt moves the planar member nonrotatably with respect to saidsecond flange to releasably secure the planar edge portion of thevehicle therebetween.
 2. A clamp as recited in claim 1 wherein theshoulder portion of the armature has an elongate slot, and wherein onelateral edge of the first flange of the L-shaped member is adapted tofit in said slot, and additionally comprising at least one rivetinterconnecting said first flange and said shoulder portion, saidL-shaped member being fixedly connected to said armature by said rivetand said slot.
 3. A clamp as recited in claim 1 wherein the internalthreaded aperture in the neck portion of the armature extends axiallythrough said neck portion to provide an opening at said one end of saidneck portion, and additionally comprising a second bolt threadablyengagable with said aperture at said one end for detachably attachingthe rack to said armature.
 4. A clamp as recited in claim 1 wherein therack comprises a support member, and means for attaching skis to saidsupport member.
 5. A clamp for attaching a rack to the edge of a trunklid or similar planar edge portion of a vehicle, said clampcomprising:an armature comprising an elongate neck portion and ashoulder portion axially offset from said neck portion, and joined toone end of said neck portion said neck portion having an axial threadedaperture therethrough, said shoulder portion having an outwardlydirected planar recess and a downwardly directed longitudinal slot atthe upper end of said recess; an L-shaped member comprising first andsecond relatively thin orthogonal flanges, said first flange adapted tomate with the recess in the shoulder portion of the armature and fitinto the slot into the upper end thereof, said second flange beingadapted to be placed in abutment with the underside of the edge portionof the vehicle and having a lateral edge adapted to be generallyadjacent a support rib on the underside of said edge portion; means forattaching the first flange to the shoulder portion of the armature; abolt having one end threadably engaged with the threaded aperture in theneck portion of the armature at the other end of said neck portion, saidbolt having a head portion at the other end for turning said bolt; aplanar member having an upwardly directed countersunk aperturetherethrough, said planar member having a portion adapted to begenerally in parallel spaced opposition to the second flange of theL-shaped member and a portion adapted to overlie a substantial portionof said support rib; and rivet means adapted to project through theaperture in the planar member and attached to the head portion of thebolt, said rivet means having a head portion conformed to the apertureso that the planar member is rotatably attached to the bolt adjacent thehead portion and rotation of the bolt moves the planar member withrespect to the second flange to releasably secure the planar edgeportion of the vehicle therebetween.